


The Bank Job volume 2

by Starliam



Category: Ocean's Eleven Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25109932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starliam/pseuds/Starliam
Summary: I was thinking for a while about this story. Willy Bank wants his revenge for what happened in Ocean's 13.The gang has to get back together to figure out what to do, and how to protect themselves.
Comments: 18
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

Danny's phone started ringing, and he lowered the volume of the tv, taking the phone out of his pocket.  
Terry Benedict. Danny frowned. What Terry wanted from him?  
They hadn't spoke to each other in more than a year, after Danny had left Benedict's office after the Bank job. What did he want now?  
Danny shook his head, and decided to answer.  
"Hello?"  
A little hesitation on the other side. "...Ocean?"  
"Yes, Terry, it's me. What do you want?"  
"We have a problem".  
We? Danny frowned again. "What do you mean we have a problem?"  
"Bank knows about my involvement in the job against him. I don't know what else he knows".  
Danny felt his eyes going wide open with surprise and alarm.  
"What? How do you know?"  
Terry sighed, and then he started telling the story.

The night before Terry had participated in a business dinner with many other hotel and casino owners. It was just a yearly dinner, organized by the owner of the Luxor; the kind of social event that was better to attend. There, Bank had approached him, right after dessert.   
"Hello, Terry. It's nice to see you".  
"Hi, Bank. I didn't know you still had a hotel in Vegas".  
"I don't. But I know many people, so I got invited anyway. But see.. I am actually thinking of building another hotel here".  
"That's nice. I hope you have more luck then with the other one".  
Bank put on a slick smile. "That, of course... if you and your friends will allow it".  
Terry frowned. "What do you mean? You don't need my permission".  
"No. But last time you, Ocean and his friends created me a lot of problems".  
Terry felt his own smile disappear. "I don't know what you are talking about".  
"Oh, I think you do. You were behind that stunt that forced me out of my hotel".  
Terry shook his head. "Bank, you're delusional. Whatever happened to you and your hotel was only your fault. Why would I have done it?"  
"Because you hate me", answered Bank, smiling dangerously. "But see, I know more than you think. Be careful, Terry, and watch your back".  
With that last threat, Bank left. 

Danny covered his face with a hand. "That's exactly what he said?" he asked.  
"Yes. exactly what he said".  
"And he said 'Ocean and his friends', plural?"  
"Yes, plural".  
Danny sighed. "How did he figure it out?"  
"I have no idea," answered Terry. "But what do we do, now?"  
"I will tell you what you will do. In a few minutes I will send you an address from a burner phone. You take your car and you go there immediately. Actually no, don't take your car. Take a different car. Do you have access to a burner phone?"  
Terry was silent for a moment. "Yes, I do".  
"Great. Text me from that phone, so I will have the number. From now on, all our communications will be from burner phones, do you understand?"  
"Yes".  
"Good. Now, I will tell the others and I will see you in a few hours at the address that I'm about to send you".   
Danny closed the phone call abruptly, and put his face in his hand. Damn.

A few hours later, Terry stopped the car at the address that Danny had sent him. It was a hotel in Los Angeles, "The Infinity Hotel". He had never heard of that.  
He asked himself briefly why Ocean would send him there, but everything was clear when he saw the person that was coming out the main entrance to greet him.  
"Hello, Terry! Welcome to my new hotel!", said Rusty Ryan, smiling. "Danny told me to wait for you. And who are these lovely ladies you brought?"  
Still smiling, Rusty looked from Terry to the tall, red haired woman and the little girl next to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Terry smiled politely. "Thanks for welcoming us in person, Ryan. Your hotel looks lovely. She is Jessie, my girlfriend. And this little one is Cara, her daughter".  
"Welcome to the Infinity hotel," said Rusty again, smiling and shaking hands with Jessie. The girl was looking at him, shy.  
Terry spoke again. "I felt that if I needed a... change in scenery... maybe Jessie and Cara needed one too".  
"And you were perfectly right," nodded Rusty, looking intently at Benedict. Then, he smiled to the little girl. "You will have a lot of fun here, Cara. This time of the year we get a lot of families with kids your age. You will make a lot of friends, and you can play together in the kids pool".  
"There is a pool?" asked Cara, looking at her mom.  
"Yes, we have a pool for kids and one for grown-ups," answered Rusty. "I will show them to you in a little bit. Why don't I bring you to your room, first? You must be tired for the long drive".

While they were walking in the hallways, Terry and Rusty purposedly left Jessie and Cara a little behind, so that they could talk. The kid was too excited about the pool to notice it anyway, and was incessantly chatting to her mom, who was smiling at her.  
"So you got yourself a girlfriend and a kid? Congrats", whispered Rusty. "How you convinced them? They seem too nice for you".  
Terry glared at him, and changed the subject. "I thought that if I was in danger, maybe they could be too. I hope it's not a problem".  
"Not at all. I told you, you were right in bringing them. Do they know?"  
"Jessie does," answered Terry, nodding. "I told her before coming here. Cara obviously doesn't. We told her we wanted to take a vacation".  
"Good. I will tell the reception to bring a kid bed in your room. It's this one".  
Rusty stopped in front of a door, and opened it. The kid opened her mouth wide with excitement in seeing the spacious suite, with a big bed and a giant balcony.  
"Look mom! A balcony!"   
Rusty smiled. "Yes! And we have a lot of toys also. You will meet soon my wife, Isabel. She is taking care of the entertainment, for the most part".  
"Do you have kids, Mr. Ryan?" asked Cara.  
"No, we don't, yet. But we are working on it. Maybe next year".  
Rusty winked at Jessie, who smiled back."Thank you so much. Mr. Ryan," she said. "This room is amazing. And I'm sure Cara will have a lot of fun".  
"Oh, please, call me Rusty. No need to be formal. And this counts also for you," added Rusty, looking at the little girl, who smiled at him for the first time.   
"Now, if you want I will let you rest a little..."  
"I want to see the pool!" exclaimed the little girl, and Rusty laughed.  
"Okay, I will bring you to see the pool. Terry, listen... Danny and the others will be here soon. We can have dinner together later and discuss... things".  
"Good. Thank you, Rusty", nodded the tycoon.  
"You're welcome".

Right after leaving Jessie, Cara and Terry ath the pool, Rusty was busy with the arrivals of Reuben, Basher and Frank. Everybody else was en route, and he decided to call Danny to update him.  
His friend answered after the first ring.  
"Where are you?" asked Rusty.  
"Layover. We'll be there in a couple of hours, tops".  
"Good. Basher, Frank and Reuben are already here. Terry too. And guess what? He brought guests".  
A second of silence. "Guests?"  
"Yes. His girlfriend, Jessie, and her adorable daughter, Cara. She is 5 years old and she loves my pool".   
Danny chuckled. "I bet. Your pool is amazing. Oh, my. I didn't expect that."  
"Yes. Our Terry got himself a little family. He said he brought them because he was scared they would be in danger".  
"I agree", said Danny after a second of silence.  
"Yes, but... Are we overreacting, Danny? I agree that Bank is sketchy, but would he really harm an innocent woman and a child? Or, would he really harm us?"  
"I don't know. But Bank is... well, you know. I understand Terry's worries. That's also why I'm bringing Tess. And why Virgil is bringing Sarah. Who is pregnant, by the way. Twins".  
"Oh, good", Rusty rolled his eyes, smiling.   
"Yeah. And Livingston is bringing his boyfriend".  
Rusty made a noise between a chuckle and a snort. "Livingston has a boyfriend??"  
Danny smiled in the phone. "Yes. Or at least, I think so. He kept saying he was scared for Mark, and he had to bring Mark, so I told him, sure, bring Mark".  
"Knowing Livingston, Mark is probably a cat".  
"Don't be mean. But... there is something else".  
"What?"  
"It's Linus... we can't find him".  
Rusty' heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"  
"He is not answering his phone".  
"Are you... Have you called Molly and Bobby?"  
"Yes. They don't know anything. But he was doing a job, so he was probably caught up in that. Anyway, the job he was doing is in San Francisco, do you mind calling our contacts there?"  
Rusty sighed. "Yes, of course. Why you didn't say that immediately? You let me ramble about everyone's family for... hours!"  
"It was just a couple of minutes. I have to go, we're boarding. I'll see you very soon".  
Rusty took his face in his hands. Then, he started calling.


	3. Chapter 3

Less than two hours later, while the sun was about to set. Rusty was in front of the big window an the main entrance, watching a a cab who was stopping in the parking lot, letting out Danny and Tess, who was wearing a flower dress.   
"You didn't tell me she was coming too". Rusty turned to his side, looking at Terry, who was watching Tess walking next to Danny.  
"Oh, I didn't?" answered Rusty. "I must have forgot".  
"Clearly".  
"Danny was worried about her, exactly like you were worried about Jessie and Cara".  
Terry nodded, still looking in front of him.   
"Dinner will be ready in an hour, more or less," said Rusty again. "I asked the kitchen to prepare us something special".  
Terry didn't answer, but got away from the big window right before Tess and Danny could enter. 

Everybody was tired from the impromptu trip, but everyone was also really hungry. Rusty had ordered reception to leave a room just for them. They were going to eat at two tables: one for the wives, the girlfriends and Livingston's boyfriend; the other one for the gang. So they could have the chance to speak freely in order to find a solution, while everyone else could try to relax.   
The kitchen had prepared an amazing dinner, and everyone was enjoying it. But Rusty was looking at his phone all the time, almost incapable to eat.  
"I'm sure he's fine," whispered Danny in his ear. "You know how Linus sometimes gets... distracted".  
Rusty nodded. "Yes, I know".   
Terry kept glancing at the other table, where Tess and Jessie were talking and laughing to each other.  
"They are so talking about me", he commented, almost without realizing it.  
"Don't be paranoid," smirked Rusty. "They have no reason to talk about you".  
Terry raised an eyebrow. "My girlfriend and my former girlfriend have no reason to talk about me? Of course they do. See how they are laughing now".  
Rusty smirked again. "Are you suggesting that you are a laughable matter, Terry?"  
Terry glared at him. "Of course not, Ryan! I..."  
In that moment, Rusty's phone started ringing, and he took it, got up from the table and quickly left the room. Terry turned again to look at Jessie and Tess, frowning.   
Rusty came back after a couple of minutes, smiling openly. He nodded at Danny, who was looking at him.  
"Linus is fine," said Rusty. "He left his phone in a hotel room while doing the job. He is renting a car, will arrive here in a few hours".   
Danny smiled. "I told you he was going to be okay". But he was clearly relieved.   
"If he leaves now - said Rusty again - he should be here around 3 am. I told him to call me when he was close".  
Danny smiled again. Rusty was always trying not to show his emotions, but he was very protective of his friends. Of Linus especially. 

The empty plates of the dessert (a delicious ricotta and chocolate cake) were being taken away, and Isabel (surely following Rusty's indication) invited all the people at her table to follow her in another room for more drinks and some games. Cara started yawning, and Jessie brought her to Terry so that he could wish her goodnight.  
Danny was surprised to see the tycoon's soft side. He took the kid on his knees, smiling openly, and he kissed her on the cheek. "Good night, little one," he whispered. "Tomorrow we'll play in the pool again, eh?"  
Cara nodded, yawning again, before leaving, taking her mother's hand. Danny and Rusty exchanged a glance.

After the gang was alone in the room, with some liquor provided by Rusty, Danny started talking. "We all know why we are here. We need to figure out exactly what Bank knows, what he wants to do, and how we can respond. But first..." Danny stopped talking, looking at Rusty, who nodded. So Danny started again. "But first, we need to understand how Bank learned about us".  
"We were the only ones who knew what happened," said Rusty. "So..."  
"So, what?" asked Turk, in a defensive tone. "You think one of us is a snitch?"  
"No, of course not," said immediately Danny, shaking his head. "Or at least, not on purpose. But we all know how these things are. We speak with our contacts all the time, and we speak with them about the jobs we pull".  
"And it's possible that one of these people said to somebody else..."  
"And somebody else told Bank".   
"If one of us said something about the Bank job, to anyone, we need to know. Just to understand exactly what he might know".   
Everyone looked at each other. Frank and Virgil shrugged. Saul looked at Rusty and Danny like they were crazy.  
"We were the onlye one knowing about it," said again Danny. "And if we didn't say anything, and Terry clearly didn't..."  
"Toulour", interrupted Frank. Everyone turned to look at him. "Toulour knew about it," kept talking Catton. "Thanks to our friend Benedict, here..."  
Terry swallowed, paling slightly. Danny interrupted him. "But why Toulour should tell Bank?"  
"I have no idea," said Frank, shrugging. "Why he had to go to Terry, years ago? He wanted to play a stupid game. Who knows what he wants to do now".   
Rusty and Danny looked at each other. Of course. It made sense. Toulour.  
"Do you have any contact with him, Terry?" asked Livingstone.  
Benedict shook his head. "No. I haven't spoken to him since after the night of the Bank job".  
"Did you get mad at him? For not bringing you the diamonds?" asked Virgil.   
"Why do you care?" shrugged his brother.  
"Well, maybe he's mad at Terry for that! You stupid..."  
"No, I didn't," answered Terry, before the twins could start a fight. "I wasn't surprised, actually. I didn't really care that much about the diamonds anyway".  
"Then why you had to do that?" asked Danny, in an offended tone of voice.  
Terry looked at him for a second, before answering. "It was a power move".   
"A power move?" Basher's voice sounded incredulous.  
"Yes. You stole from me, and I wanted to show you that I could steal from you".  
"By contacting Toulour?"  
"He contacted me, actually"  
"What?!" Terry couldn't tell who had spoken. It sounded like everyone exploded at the same time with that simple question.  
"Yes," he said. "He came to me before you did. He was in Vegas for something else, and he saw you. He just imagined you were up to something, and he came to tell me, to see if I wanted to collaborate with him against you".  
"And what did you say?" asked Danny again.  
Terry shrugged. "I dismissed him, at first. I had no reason to think you were up to anything. I knew Reuben was sick, and I assumed that you were in Vegas to visit him. But then you came to me to ask me to finance the drill... and I had the idea of making you steal the diamonds and to accept Toulour's offer".   
Danny and Rusty looked at each other again. Everybody else did the same. It looked like they were all thinking the same thing.  
"He played you, Terry," explained Danny, with a surprising gentle tone of voice. "He played you like a violin".  
Terry tightened his jaws. "He's bad," commented Rusty, shaking his head. "He's really, really bad".   
"I start to think that even if he got the diamonds, he would not have given them to you", said again Danny, looking at Terry, who didn't answer.   
After a moment of silence, Danny spoke again. "Alright. It's getting late, and we are all very tired. Why don't we go to bed, get a good night sleep, and we'll think about it tomorrow, with a rested mind?"  
Everybody agreed. Saul and Reuben had been yawning for a while already. While everyone was getting up from the table, Terry said a generic "Goodnight" and left, before anyone could approach him.  
For the millionth time that night, Danny and Rusty looked at each other without speaking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Very short chapter... but it's a good ending, before the next one starts!

At 3 am, Rusty got up from the couch in the hallway when his phone produced a "ding", signaling the arrival of a text message.   
He yawned and went to the main door, from where he saw Linus that was coming out from a parked blue Prius, with a big duffel bag.   
He smiled when he got closer to the door, even if it was clear from the dark circles under his eyes that he must have been very tired.  
Rusty let him enter, and then started talking.  
"So... Why you left your phone in a hotel room?"  
"No reason. I just forgot it".  
"The point of having a cellphone is to keep it with you all the time. So that if somebody calls you for an emergency, like a pissed billionaire ready to kill you, you would know it on time".  
Linus smirked. "You were worried".  
"Well, yes. We all were".  
"Relax. I'm fine".  
"Next time bring your cellphone".  
Linus smiled again. "Sure, dad".  
Rusty shook his head, rolling his eyes and smiling. 

At the same time, Terry and Jessie were awake in their room. After a couple of hours of sleep, they had both waken up for some noise that Cara was making while sleeping.  
Now, they were laying in bed, whispering to each other in order not to wake up the girl. "I'm sorry that I put you in this situation", was saying Terry, lightly caressing Jessie's arm.  
Jessie smiled. "Don't worry. It's actually fun to think of what you have done. Everything is going to be fine".  
Terry smiled back. "Once this situation is solved, we will go together to the real Bellagio, in Italy".  
"I would love that. Have you ever been there?"  
"Yes, when I was younger. I loved it so much I decided to call my hotel like that. It's such a cute little town, with an amazing view. We can actually stay there for a couple of months".  
"A couple of months in Bellagio?"  
"No. In Italy. We could rent a car and travel around. Just you, Cara and me. She will love it too. I always wanted to do it, but I never got to actually do it. And we both know how to drive a manual car, so...".  
"I've never been to Italy. It would be great".  
"And you will learn some Italian, too".  
"You could teach me. You told me you speak Italian".  
"I do".  
"Tell me something".  
"Sei la donna più bella del mondo e ti amo tantissimo".  
Jessie laughed lightly, kissing Terry's nose.  
Then, it was only silence until morning. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning by 9 am, Danny, Rusty, Terry and Linus were having breakfast together, following Danny's request. He thought that it would have been easier coaxing information out of Terry, without the presence of everyone else.   
Linus was clearly tired, after sleeping only a few hours; but he had insisted he wanted to be present.   
"So," said Danny, sipping a cup of coffee. "I think we need to go a little back, to understand more about Toulour. When he contacted you years ago, Terry, and he gave you our information, how did he do it? Did you know him at all?"  
"No, I didn't," answered Terry, after swallowing a bite of a chocolate croissant. "I never heard of him before. I went to my office one day and I found a folder on my desk, with inside all your information. He called me and said he was the Night Fox".   
Rusty and Danny quickly looked at each other. Then, Rusty asked the second question: "How did he enter in your office?"  
Terry shrugged. "I don't know. I assumed he pretended to be part of the cleaning staff. They clean my office in the morning, before I arrive".  
"What kind of information did he give you about us?"  
"Everything. It was outstanding. I imediately thought he must have used some private investigator, or he must have had a lot of contacts that knew you. In those papers there was everything I needed to find you all. Addresses, some phone numbers... Even the day and the time for Frank's nail appointment, and the details of the reservation for the reharsal dinner of... Virgil".   
Terry ended the sentence frowning, probably hoping that the others didn't notice that he couldn't remember one of the Malloy's names.   
But Rusty and Linus smirked, and he frowned again. Then, Rusty became serious again, looking at Danny's face.  
"That means..."  
"Probably..."  
"What? What does it mean?" asked Linus, opening his eyes wide.   
"It means that he probably knows that we are here right now", explained Terry, who had guessed what the two thieves were thinking.  
"Maybe," conceded Danny. "But we still don't know if it was Toulour to go to Bank. And we still don't what information he gave him. He did research on us because he wanted for you to come to us, Terry. But now we don't know what he wants from Bank".  
"It's possible that he only told him what he already knew," said Rusty. "Toulour is not violent, he probably only wanted some money out of it".  
"He may not be violent, but he came to me, knowing that I wanted revenge on you all," retorted Terry. "For what he knew, I could have killed you all without respecting our deal".  
Danny and Rusty looked at each other again. It was clear what they were thinking: Toulour may not be violent, but surely he didn't mind playing with other people's lives.   
"We need to find out if he went to Bank first", said Danny.  
Rusty took another cookie. "We could meet with... you know..."  
"Yes, I know".  
"If you are talking of who I think you're talking - interrupted Linus - I have a meeting with him later. I figured he could have important information, so I set it up".  
Danny and Rusty smiled. Terry decided it was better not to ask.  
"Go and get him, Linus", smiled Danny again.

It was almost dinner time, when Danny entered in one of the small living room on the first floor. This one was a small library, available for the customers who wanted to relax with a good book. He had to admit, Rusty had done an amazing job with his new hotel.   
Looking around, Danny saw somebody sitting on one of the couches: the man was giving him his back, but Danny could recognize his head anywhere.  
The thief took some steps in the direction of the couch, and found himself in front of Terry Benedict. What Danny couldn't see from the door, was the little girl asleep on the couch next to Terry, snuggled against his leg.   
Terry was silently reading from a kid book, probably the same one he was reading to Cara before she fell asleep.   
The tycoon looked at Danny, and Danny smiled to him.  
"She loves you very much," said Ocean, very quietly, in order not to wake up the child.  
"She does," answered Terry, very quietly.  
Danny sat on a comfy chair in front of them. "What happened to her father?" he asked.  
Terry looked suspiciously at him for a second, like he was ready for a snappy remark. Instead, he said: "He didn't want her".  
Danny sighed. "That's a shame. I'm sorry".  
"I'm not. It's his loss".  
Danny smiled lightly. "That's true. She's clearly a smart child, and she is lucky to have you".  
"I am lucky to have her. And her mother, of course".  
Danny was about to say something else, but Terry 's face became very serious, and his eyes looked like they turned to stone. "I need to protect them," he said, raising his voice just a little. The kid kept sleeping."I need to be sure that they can't be harmed. Not by Bank, not by Toulour, not by anyone. They need to be safe".  
"I know, Terry. I promise you, we will keep them safe. This is always our priority: every time we pull a job, our safety is the most important thing. This time, our families are involved too, probably. We will keep them all safe".  
"Even my family?" asked Terry, and Danny looked at him like the tycoon had just slapped him.  
"You can't seriously ask me that. Do you really think we will not keep a woman and a child safe just because they are your family? What kind of monsters do you think we are?"  
Terry shook his head. "I didn't mean... Look, I am the one who screwed up. I went to Toulour in the first place".  
Danny shrugged, shaking his head. "Everyone screws up. You think we don't do that? You know, when we were organizing the robbery at the Bellagio... Linus did a very bad mistake, that almost got him arrested".  
"Really?" asked Terry, uncertain.  
"Yes. And I made a mistake too, when I approached Tess without telling Rusty or the others. It was a risk, and not only for me. And what Virgil did with the factory in Mexico? We all make decisions that can be risky, sometimes. We all screw up. It doesn't mean that we don't take care of each other. And it definitely doesn't mean that we won't keep safe your girlfriend and your child".  
Terry's expression relaxed, and he smiled a little. Probably because Danny had called Cara "his child".   
"Thank you", he said, looking at the sleeping girl.  
"You're welcome".  
They were silent for a couple of seconds, when Rusty ran into the room, panting.   
"Oh, Danny, here you are!"  
Danny got up, alarmed. "What happened?"  
"Come with me. Something happened to Linus". 


	6. Chapter 6

"What happened?" asked again Danny, rushing outside the library with Rusty, who was almost running in the hallway.  
"It looks like he was stabbed!"  
"Stabbed...?"In that moment Isabel came from one of the rooms, and looked straight past Danny and Rusty.  
"Terry, please, call Jessie!"   
Danny and Rusty turned, to see Terry a few feet behind them, with the sleeping child in his arms, her head propped against his shoulder."Yes, I'm going," he said, and disappeared in the hallway.  
Rusty looked interrogatively at Isabel, and she explained: "Jessie is a doctor".  
The three of them entered in the room from where Isabel was coming, to find Linus on a sofa, with Tess next to him. She was pressing a towel full of blood on his right side. Linus was awake, but incredibly pale and clearly in a lot of pain. Blobd had covered the sofa cushion, and had spilled on the carpet.  
"What happened?" asked Danny again, getting closer to his friend.  
"It was a knife, or something like that" answered Tess.  
"Damn it!" exclaimed Rusty. Danny turned to look at his friend: he was almost pale as Linus.   
Right at that moment, Jessie entered in the room, with a big doctor's bag in her hand. "It's good I decided to bring it," she said, kneeling next to Linus. Tess got up, to leave her more space.  
"Okay, so..." started Jessie, putting on a pair of medical gloves. "Let's see what we have here".  
"Did you see who was it?" asked Danny. Linus shook his head, incapable of speaking.  
"How did it happen? Did you..."  
"Danny!" yelled Rusty. "Leave him alone!"  
Ocean tightened his lips with a small sigh.  
Their attention was called by Jessie's voice. "I need to check if there is any internal damage," she was explaining at Linus. "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt".  
Without hesitating, she stuck a gloved finger in Linus' wound. He screamed, and Danny turned away. He glanced at Rusty, who looked about to puke.  
Luckily, it didn't last long: Jessie pulled out her finger and quickly removed the dirty gloves, letting them fall on the carpet.  
"Good," she said, with a small smile. "It looks like the liver is intact, and it looks like there is no internal bleeding".   
"Is he going to be fine?" asked Rusty.   
Jessie waited a second to answer. "I can't promise anything yet. I don't have everything they have at the hospital..."  
"But he can't..." started Danny.  
"I know. It could be too dangerous for him, since basically anyone can enter there. Look, if he doesn't develop an internal bleeding, I'm pretty sure he's going to be fine".  
Jessie took from her bag a monitor for the blood pressure, and put it around the right arm of Linus, who was almost passed out.  
"What... what is going on?" asked Rusty.   
"I will need to check his blood pressure for quite some time. If it drops under 90, it means that he's bleeding internally. And at that point we need to get him to the hospital, no matter what. I can't deal with that here".  
"Of course," nodded Danny.   
"For now, it looks like he's fine", said Jessie again, with a reassuring smile.  
Danny heard Rusty loudly exhaling in relief. But before he could say anything, his friend stomped out of the door. With an hesitant glance to Linus, Danny followed him.  
Rusty walked to his office. He opened the door with an angry gesture, sending it to loudly hit the wall. Then, he entered and grabbed a bottle of whisky from a small table next to the desk. He poured some in a glass and gulped it down.  
"Russ..." started Danny; but his friend interrupted him.  
"How it could happen? Eh? Was it Bank?"  
"I don't know. Let's calm down a little..."  
"Calm down? How I am supposed to calm down?"  
"We need to..."  
"And what is wrong with you?!"  
Danny frowned. "With me?"  
"Yes, with you! You were asking him all those questions, while he was bleeding out!"  
"I... was trying to figure out what happened! I..."  
"You wouldn't even let him go to the hospital!"   
Now Rusty was yelling, and Danny took a step closer to him."You know why! We don't know what happened, anyone can enter in a hospital! He wouldn't have been safe..."  
Rusty scoffed, opening his arms in a defeated gesture. Then he poured more whisky, and gulped it down again.  
"Russ..." Danny got even closer to him, but was surprised at his reaction.   
"How could you be so calm? You were just... there... you looked more worried about what happened than about him! It looked like you didn't even care!"  
Danny looked at Rusty, shocked. "You can't really think that..."  
"I don't know what to think! I don't know! I just... can't think of anything else than Linus!"  
"Maybe you should find something else to do", answered Danny, coolly.   
Rusty looked at him. "Fuck you, Danny".  
Then, he left the room. This time, Danny didn't follow him.

Danny didn't see Linus or Rusty for hours. He felt like it was better to avoid any confrontation, especially in front of their injured friend. But that night, when everybody was sleeping, he decided he couldn't wait until the morning. Linus had been brought in his room, and Jessie had given him something to be sure he was going to sleep through the night. His parameters were fine, and the wound looked worse than it was.   
Danny quietly opened the room, that wasn't locked in order to allow Jessie to come and see Linus during the night.   
He immediately saw the face of Linus on the candid pillow: a small light was on in a corner of the room. Danny got closer to the bed, and was relieved in seeing that his friend was much less paler than before, and seemed to sleep peacefully, with no lines of pain on his forehead.   
Danny smiled. Then, he turned and saw another person asleep on the couch at the foot of the bed. He knew who he was without even looking. Careful not to make noises, Danny walked to the couch, and saw Rusty deeply asleep. He was pale, paler than Linus. He didn't have a blanket, so Danny took one that was folded on a side of the bed, and lightly put it on Rusty, careful not to wake him up.   
But he wasn't successful: his friend stirred and opened his eyes wide, surprised.  
"Shhh, it's me, don't worry", whispered Danny. "I'm just putting a blanket on you".  
But t that point Rusty was awake: he rubbed his eyes and looked at Danny. "It looks like I didn't find anything better to do, after all".  
Danny tightened his lips and sat on the couch, next to Rusty's legs. "I'm sorry for what I said before," he said. "I shouldn't have..."  
"No, no. I am sorry for yelling at you that way. I don't even know why... I was..."  
"...Scared".  
"...and upset".  
"As was I".  
Rusty looked briefly towards the bed. "Did you check..."  
"Yes. Hes' sleeping. He looks much better than earlier".  
Rusty sighed. "Good".  
"Listen... did he say anything?"  
Rusty shook his head. "No. He fell asleep right after Jessie stitched him up. He was in pain, so she gave him something".  
Danny nodded. "Okay. We'll ask him tomorrow the details of what happened".  
"He had his phone with him and his wallet... it wasn't a mugging".  
Danny nodded again, glancing thoughtfully at the sleeping form of his friend in the big bed.   
Rusty's voice caught his attention again. "What time is it?"  
"A little past 2 am. Everybody is sleeping"  
."But you are dressed..."  
"I didn't feel tired".  
Rusty looked intently at him. "You should rest. At least a few hours. Tomorrow.... we'll need to figure out different things".  
Danny nodded, looking around. "You can sleep here", said Rusty again, like he understood what his friend was thinking.   
"There isn't another sofa".  
"Oh, c'mon. There isn't another sofa, but there is a giant king size bed. Linus won't even notice you're there".  
Danny seemed to think about it. "Yes... just a couple of hours".  
"Just a couple of hours", smiled Rusty.

An hour later, Jessie quietly entered in Linus' room. She knew about Rusty sleeping on the sofa, but she was quite surprised when she saw Danny, sleeping on the bed next to Linus. Then, she smiled, realizing that probably she shouldn't have been surprised at all.


	7. Chapter 7

Linus opened an eye. Then, very slowly, the other one. He felt groggy, like he was having a bad hangover. He tried to stretch, but a sharp pain in his side stopped him.He slowly turned his head, and saw Danny, completely dressed, asleep under a light blanket next to him. Linus smiled. He didn't know when Danny had entered his room, but he knew that Rusty was asleep on the couch at the foot of the bed. Linus relaxed. After what happened the other day, he was glad that he had such good friends. Maybe he could sleep a little bit more, before Jessie came to check on him.

"I honestly don't know", was saying Linus a couple of hours later. He was sitting on the bed, with Danny and Rusty standing next to him, while Jessie was checking his wound.  
"The only thing I know - he said again - is that I was walking and at some point I felt this strong, sharp pain on my side. I looked down and I saw that I was bleeding. I looked around and I didn't see anyone. They must have been quick".  
"It sounds like someone who is used to do this kind of things," commented Rusty.  
Danny sighed. "Why you didn't call us? You got in the car and drove here after being stabbed".  
"I... I wanted to. But my hands were full of blood... I couldn't use the phone, for some reason, so I decided to get in the car and come back here. I hope the car is not too... well, full of blood".  
"We'll take care of it," dismissed Rusty. "The important thing is that you're fine".  
"He is," said Jessie, taking off her gloves and smiling. "Everything looks good. But you will need to stay in bed for a few days, Linus. I had to give you some internal stitches, and we can't risk of ripping them off. Okay?"  
Linus nodded. "Okay. Thank you. You were amazing".  
Jessie smiled again. "When I was working at the emergency room I did this kind of things a million of times. Almost every night we were getting someone badly injured"."You don't work at the emergency room anymore?"  
"No... I have a private practice with another friend. It's easier, with Cara. Different hours. But sometimes I miss the life of the emergency room".  
"Hey, guys..." said Linus again. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to the meeting with Ezron. I will call him again and try to set up another one".  
"Don't worry about it, Linus. Again, the only important things is that you're fine", said Danny.

An hour later, Jessie was in the hallway, walking towards the room she shared with Terry and Cara. Two men started walking next to her, and she stopped to look at them.  
"Hey," said Rusty, smiling at her.  
"Hey," answered Jessie, reciprocating the smile.  
"Can we talk to you for a second?" asked Danny.  
Jessie shrugged. "Sure".  
"We wanted to thank you for helping Linus," said Rusty. "You were great, and without you... well, you probably saved his life".  
Jessie smiled warmly. "You're welcome. I'm glad I was able to help".  
Danny and Rusty looked at each other. For a second, they looked embarrassed, and Jessie felt a pang of curiosity. "What is going on?" she asked.  
"We..." Danny looked again at Rusty, before ending the sentence. "We wanted to give you something, to thank you. But we also feel like you wouldn't want any money..."  
"That's right," interrupted Jessie. "No money. There is no need. But thank you for your offer"."Linus is very important to us," said Rusty. "We really want to show you how grateful we are for what you did. Tell us if there is something that you want from us, anything, and we'll make it happen".  
Jessie smiled again. "Anything?"  
"Anything", confirmed Danny.  
"Okay then. There is something that I would like, actually".  
"Shoot".  
"Well... how about... trying to become friends with Terry?"  
"Us?" Danny's face was incredulous, while Rusty just shook his head, with a doubtful smile.  
"Yes, you".  
The two thieves looked at each other. "We said you could ask for anything, but we meant something possible", said Rusty.Jessie smiled again.  
"I saved Linus, remember?"  
Danny laughed. "We remember, of course. May I ask you why you want this?"  
"We could give you diamonds, you know," said Rusty.  
Jessie laughed again. "I know. I don't care about diamonds, but thanks. I just think that... well, that you are not so different, in the end. And you would be good friends to him".  
Danny looks at her with a faint smile. "I'm sure you know what happened between us, right?"  
"I do. And in these few days here I saw how you are all capable of having a strong friendship. I think that is what Terry needs, right now. He doesn't have... a lot of friends".  
"I can't say I'm surprised," commented Rusty, and Jessie looked at him reproachfully.  
"What? He's never been nice to us", explained Rusty.  
"Well, you robbed him. What did you expect?"  
"Do you know that he threatened to kill us?" asked Danny.  
Jessie smiled again. "I know. He told me he wasn't serious".  
"And you believe it?"  
"I do. And you believed it too".  
"How do you know?"  
"Because if you thought for real that he was capable to kill you, you wouldn't have invited him here to keep him safe from Bank. You wouldn't care about saving your possible murderer, would you?"  
Danny and Rusty exchanged another glance. "Well..."  
"Listen," said Jessie again. "I know that there is a lot of bad blood between you three. And I can't force you to be friends with him if you don't want to, of course. I'm just asking you to keep an open mind. He's not as you know him, I promise".  
Both thieves looked doubtfully at her, and she kept speaking. "Do you know how I met him? How we started being together?"  
"How?" asked Danny.  
"Since I had Cara has always been difficult to find men interested in dating a woman with a child. So, when I met Terry at a party, I didn't immediately told him I was a mother. I didn't want to lie to him, I only wanted to wait for our first date to tell him. But the night of our first date, my babysitter had an emergency and she couldn't come. It was too late to find another one. So I had to call him and cancel. I told him the truth: I didn't want to make up some kind of excuse. So I told him about Cara, about the babysitter, and that I hoped he still wanted to go out with me another time. I thought he didn't want to see me again after that. Instead, you know what he did?"  
Danny smiled, like he already understood how the story ended. "What he did?"  
"He came to my house with dinner and a small gift for Cara. He spent the night and we never left each other again".  
Rusty and Danny smiled at each other. "That's a sweet story", said Rusty. "But we know him as a different person. He never brought us dinner, did he?"  
"Not even a small gift", echoed Danny.  
Jessie laughed loudly. "And I really hope you didn't spend the night with him! But seriously, I really think he would like you. And that you would like him too".  
"You know that we are thieves, right?" asked Rusty.  
"Yes, of course".  
"Okay. So... why do you want your boyfriend to be friend with the like of us?"  
Jessie shrugged. "Have you ever killed someone?"  
"No, no".  
"Of course not".  
"So, I'm okay with that".  
Danny and Rusty shrugged. "Okay, then," said Rusty. "We'll see what we can do".  
Jessie's face became serious. "What do you think happened to Linus, really?"  
Danny sighed. "We don't know. But well take some steps to be sure we are safer. We'll have a meeting with everyone tonight".  
"We are already safer, thanks to you," said Rusty. "In fact, you can become one of our doctors on call".  
"What's that?" asked Jessie, frowning.  
"Well... our activities are not always... legit. So, if someone gets hurt, we have different doctors that we trust and that we can call. For only unofficial visits, of course".  
"Of course. And... it happens often, that someone gets hurt?"  
"No, not really. But it's always good to have someone we can call in time of need. So, if we are getting shot next time we'll rob the Bellagio, we can call you". Rusty ended the sentence with a playful wink.  
Jessie laughed. "If you rob the Bellagio again, I will be the one who will shoot you. And then I will remove the bullet". 

"I honestly had no idea she would have come up with something like that," was saying Rusty to Danny, in front of some lunch. "If I had thought, I would have offered her some money and nothing else".  
Danny smiled. "Yes, it was certainly surprising. But we only agreed to try to be friends with Terry. Not to succeed".  
"Why she didn't like the diamonds idea?"  
Danny smiled again.  
"And why does she want him to be friend with us?" asked Rusty again. "It doesn't make sense".  
"I think she really loves him. She probably... thinks that he's alone and without friends".  
"Then maybe she should think that there is a reason, if he is alone and without friends".  
Danny opened his arms. "I told you, she loves him".  
Rusty sighed, lightly shaking his head.


End file.
